Mr. Barrett's omission

Yesterday morning I listened to a radio program that sounded like a Town Hall celebration of Tom Barrett's Gubernatorial bid.  It was broadcast live from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. 

I couldn't listen to the whole program but the thirty minute portion I heard included Mr. Barrett's diatribe against Wisconsin's $2.7B structural deficit and his plan to end it which includes tax increases on "the wealthy."  Here's what bothers me...

Not once in the first thirty minutes of Mr. Barrett's monologue did I hear a single reference to a spending cut.  If I missed such a bombshell in the remaining minutes of the program, please let me know.

Taxes, polls and pols

Yesterday morning at the beautiful Discovery World facility at Pier Wisconsin, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett participated in a panel discussion on Wisconsin's transportation needs and how to fund them. The event was also attended by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who had some decidedly different ideas than the Mayor.

Tom Barrett, Wikipedia

At one point, Mr. Barrett cited two separate polls to conclude: few citizens want services cut (one poll), yet few want to pay for them in the form of higher taxes (a second poll). Of course.

However, if you require people to choose between them (think one poll question), perhaps many would choose to hang on to more of their own money, even if the service pool shrinks.  Leadership requires one to make unpopular choices. That's why we see relatively little of it.